Question

How did Enlightenment period have an impact on the making of modernity? Please elaborate on the characteristics of the period and how they formed the basic tenets of modernity.

Answer 1

Enlightenment period:

The middle age followed the Renaissance period and it is followed by enlightenment for the modern age. These three time periods are also interlinked by Historical events that marked them. They have a cause and effect relationships which means that the existence of one is the effect of the existence of another. The period was wholly based on reason and its effect was the historical landmark such as the French Revolution and The American Revolution .

The middle ages is the phrase used to describe Western countries after the fall of the Roman empire and the dawn of the Renaissance in the 14th century which is often called the mediaeval period. During this period the person's identity was determined by God. Everything was created by God. So people never dared to question the phenomena or what made sense to them. Everything was taken for granted even kings and Queens ruled by divine right in the great chain of being. The great chain of being is a divine order or what can be called a social structure in the modern society. In the wake of The Fall of the Roman empire there was a need for an alternative form of role, the structure or the government that would unite all the people of Europe. This was assumed by the Catholic Church which became a very powerful rule of the middle ages.

Rural life was based on feudalism, in this form of existence the king would give land relieves to Noblemen. the peasants would work on the land in exchange for protection and to live on the land. However technological innovations in agriculture resulted in significant evolution in feudalism. heavy plough and three field crop rotation definitely increased production as well as the supply of food. As a result less human resources was needed to work on farms. ultimately more people flocked to towns and cities .

It was by virtue of this city's dynamism that gave rise to the Renaissance period in the 14th to the 16th century. the word renaissance is French and means rebirth..most importantly it was time that was marked by a massive change in economy and intellect particularly in art, literature, science and philosophy .Artistic work became more accurate literature focused more on the characteristics and behaviour of the people, in Science great improvements where made in the fields like astronomy and physics. philosophy changed the way people thought about themselves and the universe which focused on Humanism. Humanism is broadly understood as involving a positive approach to human existence and an appreciation of human behaviour. philosophical changes culminated in another change in human thought. This was the dawn of the modern age which came to be famously known as the enlightenment.

The enlightenment is largely defined and popularly known as the age of reason mainly for its commitment to the use of reason for the promotion of happiness the amelioration and improvement of the practical conditions of human life .Rationalism was introduced in the enlightenment period as the man's exist from the self incurred minority.rationalism is the belief that the world has a rational structure and this can be disclosed through the exercise of human reason and Critical enquiry. As a philosophical theory nationalism is the belief that knowledge flows from reason rather than experience and thus contrasts with empiricism.

It was the successful revolution in science of the 16th and 17th centuries that gave birth to the enlightenment. Science undermined the ancient geocentric conception of the Cosmos and the constraining presuppositions that guided philosophical enquiry. In politics the Enlightenment makes present again a cause of action to encourage values characteristic of liberal modernity which are freedom progress opulence and humanitarianism. More specifically, political theorists have found in the Enlightenment the origins of several institutions that define our political landscape today from liberal individualism and global capitalism to constitutional democracy value pluralism Human Rights recognition and religious toleration .

The biggest idea that grew out of the enlightenment is that of a modern state. it came as a response to absolutism. This means that all modern states are our nation State's political apparatuses distinct from both roller and rolled with Supreme jurisdiction over a demarcated territorial area backed by a claim to a monopoly power and enjoying a minimum level of support for loyalty from their citizens. Therefore the modern state is fixed with exact territorial borders to control the means of violence by the army and police. It is a sovereign and it is the only form of rule that regards its people as citizens.

Liberalism emerged as the product of two intertwined developments in early modern Europe. secularism is one of the sub concepts of liberalism which means the next step after individual liberties have been achieved is to strive for the separation of religion from the state. The aim of the early modern political thoughts is to establish a secular political order capable of setting The wars of religion stopping the persecution of religious minorities and heretics and guaranteeing the natural rights and liberties of every man and citizen .

In conclusion in the middle age everything was determined by God and existed in the great chain of being. The Fall of the Roman empire ushered in The Renaissance period. it was marked by great revolutions in Science philosophy and astronomy which then lead to the enlightenment or the age of reason. This age of reason culminates in the overthrow of the French monarchy and leads to the establishment of the modern democratic state.